Darth Neos: Book One- A Burning Empire
by Trentopia
Summary: As an order of Grey Jedi are on the rise, a council member and apprentice go in search for information on this dark cult, but uncover clues about an even graver enemy. Darth Neos finds plans and starts to create a super weapon capable of destroying entire planets, but his pursuit to create the perfect body and weapon leads him to war with the Jedi.
1. Jericho

The sky above the planet seemed calm, however a grim battle raged on the planet's moon.

As the battle of good and evil raged on, apprentice Kane and his Master Jericho fought through a mass of X-1 battle droids. Asma Industries had been using the moon as a base to build the evil bots in secret to fuel a small rebellion led by a group of Dark Jedi known as the Coven. While the Coven was able to hold the Jedi at bay, they proved to be too under trained to prove to be too much of a true threat to the Jedi council. Or the council thought, but the Jedi Diplomats sent to the moon found a dark secret that may cost them their lives.

One year earlier: Chapter one- Master Jericho

The old master, who spent his evenings in the Jedi Library, dawned his green robes, a symbol of the Jedi Diplomats. The Diplomats had two jobs, monitor the archives and gather information to add to the library, and meet with perceived enemies of the council to judge how much of a threat the enemies would be. As of late, however, the galaxy seemed to be quiet, and as wrong as it was, Master Jericho wished something would happen.

Jericho, once the prodigy of a sith lord known as Darth Neos, turned to the light side of the force after he saw the brutality that the dark side demanded, but he was not free to go as he wished. In the final moments of Darth Neos, the sith lord cast a spell on his old apprentice marking him with a symbol of a slave. Jericho found solace in the teachings of the Jedi, and quickly grew his powers in the force, able to control both sides with ease and retain his ability to keep from falling to the dark side. With his great skill he was given the role as knight, then as a master when his apprentice came to him. Kane was powerful and had prior training in the force before becoming a Jedi, he was trained by a group of grey's who taught the boy the basics on controlling the force and resisting the temptation of the dark side.

As Jericho walked through the halls of the great library, located on the planet Dathomir, he felt aches growing his his feet. "Age is catching up with me." He mumbled to himself as he fought through the pain and pulled holocrons from the shelf's to view and read. The Hologram, one he had previously viewed held no new answers. Darth Neos, Jericho's once master, claimed that all he knew was on the hologram, Jedi and Sith teachings alike, but Jericho was never told how to access the information embedded deep within the small cube, nor did he hope anyone else did. "Dangerous teachings." He spat. "No one needs this." He was tempted to destroy the holocron.

"Master!" Kane said as he ran into the library. "Master the council, they want us.." He gasped. "Something happened."

"Something has always happened, but if the council would pull me away from my work then.." Jericho let his voice trail off. "Let me just put these away." The old man stood up, but something popped in his back, he let out a nasty grunt and decided to just hold on the the small cube. The duo left the library and made way to the council chamber. Inside they found that a new chair had been added to the table that housed the council and the grand master stood gesturing for Jericho to stand in the center of the room.

"Jedi Master Jericho." Grand master Archon, a Zabrak, said. "I am glad you could attend."

"I am a servant of the light, where it commands me, I go." Jericho bowed.

"Truer words have yet to be spoken." Archon bowed in return. "Tell me, Jericho, what do you know of the Covenant?"

"Very little, I'm afraid." Jericho answered. "I have recently come across some holos that reference them, but not much else. I think my apprentice may be better suited to tell you more about them."

"Grand master," Kane bowed. "The Covenant is an order of grey Jedi, not too unlike the one's who trained me. My old teachers once told me that the Covenant, while dangerous, had only the good of the galaxy at heart."

"I want you two to start researching them, as they appear more and more, I sense a darkness creeping across the galaxy and I fear that they may be at the heart of it, but before you go, Master Jericho, please come forward." Archon announced. "Jericho you have served the council well, and it is time you be rewarded for it, from this day forth you will be a member of the Jedi council."

Jericho bowed "Thank you."

"No, Jericho, we should be thanking you." Archon announced. "Now, please find out what you can." The two Jedi in green robes bowed a final time and marched back to the library where they would spend two day's researching Holos to find more information about the grey Jedi order.


	2. Darth Neos

Chapter 2: Darth Neos

The Flag ship of Darth Neos, the _Aravel,_ stood stagnate in the place where courosant was once place. The sound of metallic boots hitting the surface of the ships interior filled the room. Darth Neos, now in a suit made of almost entire machine stood gazing through the main viewing window at the empty void. "Kylo Ren... What a fool." His metallic voice droned. "To destroy what could have been ours." A small-yellow twi'lekian man entered the room. The twi'lek dawned grey robes and a saber with a white power crysital in it.

"M'lord," He bowed. "There is unrest in the other members." As he spoke he chose his words carefully.

"What sort of unrest?" Neos asked, pulling back his hood to reveal a masked face, the mask covered the remains of a Zabrak male who had been nearly destroyed almost fifty years ago.

"They fear that betraying the Covenant was a grave mistake." He trembled. "I tried to ease their fears, but they refuse to listen."

"So..." He lost himself to deep thought for a second. "How is it that now my own disciples start to betray me?"

"Betray?" The twi'lek wandered. "I know nothing of betrayal."

"Your betrayal." Neos let out a thick laugh. "You sought to kill me here and now didn't you? There is no unrest in any one, but you. My greatest disciple." Neos took out a small blaster from his waste and aimed it at the twi'lek. "Jog-an, why would you betray me?"

Jog-an's expression turned serious and a snap hiss of a saber could be heard. "Because you are a psychopath." Jog-an charged Neos whirring his light saber around, scraping the suit that Neos wore, but not harming the dying Zabrak inside it. Neos fired his blaster and Jog-an fell to the ground, stunned.

"For all your skill, I was still able to stop you with a single blaster shot." Neos signaled his guards to come in. "Take him to the Cryo-Chamber. I will have further use for his body in the future." _That stupid boy was strong in the force._ Neos thought. Neos turned to view port and called another guard in. This guard was dressed in what appeared to be a modified storm-trooper uniform, but it was blue. "Bio-troopers... along with the droid army the grey's have will be able to take any system we want." He said. "Prepare the virus, Master Jericho will have a new problem to deal with, instead of worrying about my plans."

"Yes, master," The trooper nodded his head and turned to the door to leave.

"Oh and trooper. Please make sure to leave a few breadcrumbs in a different direction." Darth Neos added. "I will be leaving the ship for some time, I have a few deals to make, my love."

The trooper turned and took off their helmet to reveal the face of a human woman, no older than twenty years. "So are we using pet names now?"

"Do not look at me with that detest." Neos growled. "You have a job, let me see your saber."

"My saber?" She waited for a response, but none came. "Of course." Her saber was a standard white saber given to all of the Covenant. Some of the members of the covenant, who converted, were placed among the ranks of Bio-troopers to help keep moral up and to spy on the other troopers."

"I believe it is time you make your own, a crimson one." Neos added. "Only to be used when necessary."

"Does this mean you'll take me as an apprentice?" She gawked.

"I am going to take five as my apprentice, next to Darth Havoc there will be six total apprentices, but the other five will only be trained so far, an elete group you may say."

"So why tell me?" she asked hesitantly.

"Your second job is to take this list and gather them, start their training you will be in charge of them."

"Thank you m'lord." She bowed then left the room dutifully.

Now Neos made his way to his personal cruiser to travel to the planet koroban, where the Jedi were planning to start a new academy. If he were lucky he would be able to take out a small group of people and get the blame passed on the the Covenant to help press them under his thumb. _I the Jedi crack down upon them and I provide shelter the Covenant, then they will become part of my syndicate._


End file.
